is taking care of yourself selfish?

Selfish or not, Arabella believes that taking care of yourself is something we should all be raised to do but most of us have been so conditioned to expect everyone else to pick up the tab for our education, health, job security, welfare  and happiness that millions of people are either entering the workforce or heading for old age without a clue.

"The USA has the most realistic social security system -- some would say it's non-existent," says Arabella, "but that's what taking care of yourself is all about."

"Now that the rest of the world is catching up, dropping a lot of generous welfare benefits in order to compete in the new privatized and globalized free-trade world, the voices of doom are in full protest."

"The 'self-welfare' social security system is not seen as selfish if you've been raised within that system," says Arabella, "but with so many people moving into the New World Order from paternalistic systems it can be particularly harsh, and especially so on the vulnerable -- the sick, elderly and women with children."

"Why this system works so well in the USA is because wages are low, jobs are plentiful and the cost of living, generally, is also low," says Arabella. "And,because social security insurance is tied to jobs, people are aware at all times of their responsibility to take care of themselves in periods of sickness and unemployment as well as old age."

"In other systems, social security insurance doesn't exist per se, but is lumped together with general tax," explains Arabella, "and moving from that sort of system to the American system is a big wake-up call."

"If you've been conditioned to a highly taxed society in which everyone picks up the tab for public education, health, job security and welfare," explains Arabella, "being required to go private -- paying for your own education, health and old age security -- can be very scary and seen as promoting selfishness."

"The first thing that people notice is that if you don't have a job, you're out of the system and become totally dependent on your family and friends for all of your needs."

"As your family and friends are likely to be struggling to keep their own jobs and make provision for their own private education, health and old age requirements, an unemployed or unemployable person in their midst quickly becomes an overwhelming burden."

"For young people entering the workforce with college degrees and aspirations of having it all," says Arabella, "the New World Order hits them below the belt when the only job available to them may be at McDonald's or Walmart."

"It's the same for older people who've lost high paying jobs," says Arabella. "The reality of 'taking care of yourself' is that having a job is vital for your existence and without generous unemployment benefits you are forced into taking whatever job you can get."

"Once unemployment benefits go, more people looking for work means wages are lowered," explains Arabella. "A company that once employed two 'entitled' people on high wages, can now afford to employ ten very-willing-to-work people on the same money, or less, than it employed two."

"It's a win-win situation for employers and the government," says Arabella, "but it's hard on people raised to expect everyone else to pick up the tab for their welfare, and it's harder still on the vulnerable -- the sick, elderly and women with children -- because without a private source of income, or someone to take care of them, they are sunk."

"I believe 'self-welfare', taking care of yourself, is a good thing -- it's something I've done since I left home," says Arabella, "but I do admit that I've only achieved my own private social security by refusing to marry, refusing to have children and refusing to care for my elderly parents (I told them to sell their home and use the money to fund their own retirement care)."

"Selfish? Moi?" laughs Arabella. "Well, under a paternalistic highly taxed system in which everyone picks up the tab for public education, health, job security and welfare I would undoubtedly have ended up divorced on welfare with a couple of children and would now be raking in more taxpayer money as a paid caregiver for my parents and looking forward to a state paid old age pension."

"And, what's more, I would be totally despised by taxpayers for my welfare dependency on them."

"Taking care of yourself necessarily involves NOT taking care of others --- especially those whose needs are so great that they pull you down," says Arabella, "and given the choice of being despised for welfare dependency or considered selfish, I think I've made the right choice."

"Of course, self-welfare knocks on the head the notion that if you drive out the weak and unproductive you ensure that the species survives with only the best left to breed," laughs Arabella. "If I constitute the best of our breeding stock, and I'm not breeding, then where does the next generation come from? Immigration?"